in

Louisiana Vessel Company Pleads Guilty to Dumping Oil on High Seas, Will Pay $2.1 Million in Penalties

Offshore Vessels LLC has entered a plea of guilty to knowingly discharging waste oil from one of its vessels, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Florida Businessman Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Foreign Bribery Scheme

A Miami businessman was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to pay bribes to former officials of the Republic of Haiti.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Freight Forwarder Panalpina Pays U.S. $375,000 to Settle False Claims and Kickbacks Allegations

Swiss-based freight forwarder Panalpina Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $375,000 to settle allegations that the company paid kickbacks to employees of Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. (KBR).



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Two Brothers Plead Guilty in Miami HIV Infusion Medicare Fraud Scheme

Two brothers pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for participating in a $13.7 million HIV infusion Medicare fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to charges related to his possession and distribution of images containing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Department of Justice Releases First National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that the Department of Justice released its first-ever National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Department of Justice and USDA Announce Registration for August 27 Livestock Workshop in Colorado

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today additional details for the August 27, 2010, public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., which will examine competition in the livestock industry.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Owners of “Super Soda Center Stores” in Maryland and Delaware Settle Allegations of Underground Storage Tank Violations

The United States has settled alleged violations of federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations at 17 gas stations in Delaware and Maryland formerly owned by Duncan Petroleum Corp.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler Speaks at the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction Announcement

"As the Justice Department brings its fight against child exploitation to a new level today, I am honored to stand with so many incredible colleagues and public servants who have made it their life’s work to protect exploited children and seek justice for the most vulnerable members of our society," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler.




in

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction Announcement

"Today marks an important step forward in meeting these responsibilities and taking our fight against child exploitation and sexual abuse to the next level," said Attorney General Holder.




in

Founder and Principal Manager of Genesis Fund Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison on Tax Charges

John S. Lipton, formerly of Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer in Los Angeles to 70 months in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Enters Settlement with Rainbow River Child Development Center on Care for Children with Diabetes

The Department of Justice and the Rainbow River Child Development Center of Hawthorne, Calif., have joined in a settlement agreement to assure that children with diabetes will receive appropriate care so that they may participate fully in the programs and activities at the center.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Minneapolis Police Officer Charged with Civil Rights Violation

A federal grand jury in St. Paul, Minn., returned an indictment today charging Minneapolis Police Officer Jason Andersen, 33, with a felony civil rights crime for assaulting a juvenile during an arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

North Carolina Businessman Pleads Guilty to Role in Foreign Bribery Scheme

A former Kyrgyzstan country manager for a U.S. tobacco company has pleaded guilty for his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to officials of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Fourth Chi Mei Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty and Serve Jail Time for Participating in Global LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A former executive from Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corporation has agreed to plead guilty and to serve jail time in the United States for participating in a global conspiracy to fix the price of thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display panels.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to Spend Millions to Reduce Commuter Train Emissions in Clean Air Act Settlement

In response to a federal enforcement action for excessive train engine idling, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) will spend more than $2 million to reduce diesel locomotive emissions throughout the MBTA’s commuter rail system.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Fourteen Charged with Providing Material Support to Somalia-Based Terrorist Organization Al-Shabaab

The Justice Department announced that four separate indictments were unsealed today in the District of Minnesota, the Southern District of Alabama and the Southern District of California charging 14 individuals with terrorism violations for providing money, personnel and services to the foreign terrorist organization al-Shabaab.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Lobbyist Indicted for Orchestrating Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme

Paul Magliocchetti, the founder and president of PMA Group Inc. (PMA), a lobbying firm in Arlington, Va., was arrested today on charges of making illegal campaign contributions and making false statements to a federal agency.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

A Bedford, Va., man pleaded guilty today to transporting, receiving and possessing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Two South Florida Residents Plead Guilty in Medicare Fraud Cases

Two South Florida residents pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in separate Medicare fraud schemes.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

United States Takes Action to Reduce Hazards from Fertilizer Manufacturing Plant in Florida

CF Industries Inc. has agreed to spend approximately $12 million to implement facility-wide operational changes to reduce and properly manage hazardous wastes generated at its Plant City, Fla., phosphoric acid and ammoniated fertilizer manufacturing facility.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Alliance One International Inc. and Universal Corporation Resolve Related FCPA Matters Involving Bribes Paid to Foreign Government Officials

Two foreign subsidiaries of Alliance One International Inc., a global tobacco leaf merchant headquartered in Morrisville, N.C., pleaded guilty today to violating various provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Operator of Miami HIV Clinic Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Ring

Jose Garcia, 55, who was a fugitive for nearly two years, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for his participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving a Miami-area HIV clinic.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Jury Awards $115,000 to Victims of Housing Discrimination

A federal jury in Detroit today returned a $115,000 verdict against an Ypsilanti, Mich., man for sexually harassing female tenants in his capacity as a property manager.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Estonian Hacker Extradited to the United States to Face Computer Hacking Charges

Sergei Tšurikov, 26, of Tallinn, Estonia, has been extradited to the United States to face charges of hacking into a computer network operated by an Atlanta-based credit card processing company.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

New York Merchant Bank Pleads Guilty to FCPA Violation; Bank Chairman Pleads Guilty to Failing to Disclose Control of Foreign Bank Account

– The Mercator Corporation, a merchant bank with offices in New York, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan, N.Y., to one count of making an unlawful payment to a senior government official of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Sues Two California Residents to Bar Them from Promoting Alleged Tax Sham Trusts

The United States has sued Gwenn Wycoff and Frank Ozak of Los Angeles seeking to bar them from promoting the formation and operation of “common-law” trusts for the purpose of tax avoidance.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Hawaii Man Convicted of Providing Defense Information and Services to People’s Republic of China

A federal jury in U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii today found Noshir S. Gowadia guilty of five criminal offenses relating to his design for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of a low signature cruise missile exhaust system capable of rendering a PRC cruise missile resistant to detection by infrared missiles.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Houston-based Plains Pipeline to Spend More Than $44 Million to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations

Plains All American Pipeline L.P. and several of its operating subsidiaries will spend approximately $41 million over the next three years to prevent and remediate corrosion, improve leak detection practices and capabilities, and enhance pipeline oversight on 10,420 miles of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Tax Schemes That Cost the U.S. at Least $100 Million in Lost Taxes

A federal court in Kansas City, Mo, has permanently barred Missouri lawyer A. Blair Stover Jr. from promoting a variety of improper tax schemes.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-based Housing Discrimination at Louisville, Kentucky, Apartment Complex

“Since 1991, federal law has required that new multi-family housing complexes with four or more units be built with certain accessible features.  There is no excuse for developers and design professionals to fail to comply,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Two Former Navajo Police Officers in Tuba City, Arizona, Charged with Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury in Phoenix, Ariz., returned a three-count indictment today charging former Navajo Police Officer Christine Thinn and former Navajo Police Sergeant Phillip Bedonie Jr. with federal crimes in connection with the beating of Newton Charlie in January 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Detroit-area Clinic Operator Sentenced to 56 Months in Prison for Role in Fraudulent Diagnostic Testing Scheme

Carlos Grana, a Miami resident, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff in the Eastern District of Michigan to three years of supervised release following his prison term and was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Alleged International Credit Card Trafficker Arrested in France on U.S. Charges Related to Sale of Stolen Card Data

Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, 27, aka “BadB” of Moscow, Russia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2009 on charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Former Defense Department Contract Employee Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Contracts in Support of Iraqi War

A former contract employee of the U.S. Defense Department (DoD) pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to bribe U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and to money laundering conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Arizona Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

David Ralph Garcia Jr., 38, of Mesa, Ariz., was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison for possessing images of child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

New Congressional Funding to Enhance Department of Justice Southwest Border Strategy

Today’s passage by Congress of the Border Security Appropriations Bill provides $196 million for the Department of Justice to surge federal law enforcement efforts in high crime areas in the Southwest Border region.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Resolves Discrimination Case Against Flushing, N.Y., Restaurant That Ejected Patrons Because of Religion

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today resolving claims of religious discrimination against the Lucky Joy restaurant, located in Flushing, N.Y. In the consent decree, the restaurant’s owner, Lucky Joy Restaurant Inc., and its president, Xiao Rong Wu, admit that the restaurant engaged in a pattern or practice of wrongfully ejecting Falun Gong practitioners from the premises.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Former Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Products and Services Firm Pleads Guilty for Role in Fraud Conspiracies Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

The former owner and chief executive officer of a financial products and services firm pleaded guilty today for his participation in fraud conspiracies related to contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other related municipal finance contracts.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Speaks at the Department of Education’s Bullying Summit

"Our nation’s children deserve a learning environment that allows them to reach their full potential, and no child should be scared to go to school because of bullying," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.




in

Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler Speaks at the 8th Circuit Judicial Conference

"As I have seen every day at the Department of Justice – in national-security briefings, reviews of case files, and meetings with the leaders of our divisions and task forces – our role as lawyers has evolved," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler.




in

Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges

Ilkham Fazilov pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy for his role in a criminal enterprise that engaged in numerous criminal activities including forced labor, fraud in foreign labor contracting, visa fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, tax evasion and money laundering.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Issues Guidance Letter to State Courts Regarding Their Obligation to Provide Language Access

The Justice Department today issued a letter to chief justices and administrators of state courts clarifying the obligation of courts that receive federal financial assistance to provide oral interpretation, written translation and other language services to people who are limited English proficient.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Georgia Manufacturer of Food Service Equipment Hardware Pays $3.3 Million Fine for Role in Customer Allocation Conspiracy

A New York corporation, whose principal place of business is Newnan, Ga., was sentenced to pay a $3.3 million criminal fine for conspiring to allocate customers in the food service equipment hardware market, including walk-in refrigeration equipment.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Cheese Manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis to Pay U.S. $315,000 for Exceeding Discharge Levels into Idaho’s Mason Creek

Cheese manufacturer Sorrento Lactalis Inc. will pay the United States a $315,000 penalty for excess discharges in violation of its wastewater permit levels, according to an agreement between the company.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Barclays Bank PLC Agrees to Forfeit $298 Million in Connection with Violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act

Barclays Bank PLC, a United Kingdom corporation headquartered in London, has agreed to forfeit $298 million to the United States and to the New York County District Attorney’s Office in connection with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy and Fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting Charges

Andrew Cole pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy and fraud in foreign labor contracting charges arising from his role in a criminal enterprise that engaged in numerous criminal activities, including forced labor, fraud in foreign labor contracting, visa fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, tax evasion and money laundering.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Detroit-Area Doctor Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

Farmington Hills, Mich., physician Jose Castro-Ramirez was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program. Castro-Ramirez was also ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution and sentenced to a three-year term of supervised release following his prison term.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison in International Child Pornography Conspiracy Case

Two defendants were sentenced today to prison in connection with a series of superseding indictments charging 26 individuals for their participation in an online child pornography conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Issue Revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued today revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines that outline how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate the likely competitive impact of mergers and whether those mergers comply with U.S. antitrust law.



  • OPA Press Releases